Reclaiming apparatus for use in connection with pulp-mills.



e. E, MILLER. RECLAIMING APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PULP MlLLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25. I915.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

2 SHEET$SHEETI ACID LIQUOR WHTER NECLHIMEU HCID l vMnomo G. E. MILLER.

RECLAIMING APPARATUS FOR USE INCONNECTION WITH PULP MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25. I915v 1,156,800.. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

avwmotoz i/zzzzg Wikweooao UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ERNEST MILLER, OF MADISON, MAINE.

RECLAIMING APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PULP-MILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed January 25, 1915. Serial No. 4,329.

My invention relates broadly to improve-.

ments in reclaiming apparatus for use in connection with pulp mills and has for its object to effectively cool the acid liquor used in such devices, before it comes in contact with the gases from the digesters.

During the process of cooking the wood,

it is necessary to open the relief valves at the tops of the digesters to relieve the gas pressure. This gas is then conveyed through suitable pipes to the gas cooler which consists of submerged lead pipes in water. From the gas cooler, the gas is passed on to the acid storage tank, this gas helping to build up the strength of the S0 liquor, but in many cases the gas enters the storage tank so rapidly that it heats the acid liquor, thus causing it to lose a portion of its absorbing power and preventing all of the gas from combining with it. This of course causes a great waste of both gas and sulfur. v

To absorb SO gas freely, it is highly essential, and in fact necessary, to have the bisulfite liquor at a very low temperature. Most systems now in every day use, provide amply eflicient means for cooling the gases, but to my knowledge no such devices'have heretofore been constructed wherein the liquor is cooled before it is brought in contact with the incoming gases.

As above set forth, it is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus whereby the acid liquor is so cooled or chilled. In carrying out this object, I provide certain novel features of construction and combination hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein; Figure 1 is a vertical section through an apparatus constructed in accordance with w my invention; Figs. 2- and 3 are horizontal sections as seen along the planes'of the lines 22 and 33 of Fig. 1.

In these drawings constituting apart of this application, the numeral 1 designates a vertically elongated housing or tank which may be constructed of any suitable material, comparatively hard pine wood being preferably employed. The housing 1 is provided with a solid bottom 2 through whicha gas inlet pipe 3 rises, said pipe carrying on its upper end a pair of crossed communicating pipes at which are supported upon suitable sills 5' carried upon the bottom 2, these crossed pipes being perforated for the purpose of allowing the gas fed through the pipe 3, to be equally distributed through the bisulfite liquor 6, an appropriate amount of which (preferably about 4: feet) is trapped in the'lowe'r end of the housing or tank 1, such liquor or liquid being maintained at this level by the provision of an outlet pipe 7 through which reclaimed acid is discharged as it accumulates within the tank. 1

Interposed'between the body 6 of the liquid, and the solid top 8 with which the tank 1 is equipped, is a plurality of horizontally disposed water' inlet coils 9 whose outer ends are extended at 10through one side of the tank and connected to an upright water supply pipe '11, while their inner ends are extended downwardly as seen at. 12 and connected to the inner ends of wa ter outlet coils l3. The outer endsoffthese coils 13 are here shown as being "extended downwardly and outwardly and as connected to awater outlet pipe 14 disposedfo'n the opposite side of the tank from the pipe 11.

As clearlyv shownin Figs. 1 and 2, the various coils 9. and 13, are supported upon transverse bars 15 whose ends are secured to the upright wall of the tank in any appropriate manner As likewise seen in :Fig.

1, one of the bars supportingtheupper most inlet coil 9, likewise supports a coneshaped spreader 16 which is disposed with-.

in the opening at the'center'ofthecoil. -By this provision acid liquordripping from the horizontalperforated pipe '17, disposed above sail coil 9, will be prevented from flowing through such openingsyof the various coils,but will-beforced/to drip upon said uppermost coil, it being thereby cooled to a certain extent,after-whichitf'will drip from saidcoilQ to the adjacent'coil-13, upon which a similar action will takeplace, this action being repeated-aplurality of-times until such'.li quor- -flows from the lowermost coil l3into' the bisulfite solution already accumulated at the inner end of the tank. By this means, it will be clear to. those skilled. in the art to which the invention relates, that such raw acid in flowing from the top of the tank 1 to the bottom thereof, will be effectively chilled thereby, always reduc- I ing the temperature of the body of liquid 6, and allowing it to more readily absorb the gas flowing from the digesters and discharged through the perforated crossed pipes 4. I

If the flow of gas to be reclaimed is so great that it is not all absorbed by the body of liquor indicated at 6, most of this gas will be taken up by the cold liquid dropping from the various coils. On the other hand, in case some of this gas should reach the extreme'upper end of the tank, it will be conveyed through a vent pipe 25 to an appropriate cooler or storage tank, thereby preventing it from being wasted.

'I .have described a horizontal pipe 17 for feeding the acid liquor into the apparatus, and in the drawings have shown such a pipe as fed by an inlet pipe 17 which passes through the top 8 of the tank 1. Although this structure is ample for the purpose for which it is designed, I preferably provide valved couplings 26 at the opposite ends of said pipe 17 and a valve 27 in the supply pipe 17. By this structure, a hose (not shown) may be attached to one of the couplings 26 and the valves of both of these couplings may be 0 ened. Then, after first closing the valve 2 water may be forced through. the hose thus effectively flushing the pipe 17. Although this provision is preferably made, the apparatus will operate to advantage without the same, since it is very seldom necessary to clean the pipe 17 or any of the other pipes above described.

I have also described the crossed pipes 4 in the lower end'of the tank 1, for the purpose of equally distributing the gas to be reclaimed, through the body of liquid 6, but I have described no means whereby such crossed pipes may be cleaned or flushed should it become necessary. Since 1t is rather essential that such provision be made, however, I have shown the ends of said pipes as equipped with valved couplings 4 which may be employed in the same manner as the coupling 26 previously described. The gas inlet pipe 3 is also shown as being provided with a valve 3' whereby the passage of gas into the crossed pipes is prevented while they are being flushed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, it will be seen that a comparatively simple apparatus has been provided for carrying out the object of the invention, yet that such a device, although simple, wall readily perform the functions for which it is designed, and that such a system will 1,15e,eoo

produce a more uniform and stronger acid than such systems heretofore invented.

I claim 1. A reclaimer for pulp mills comprising an upright housing having a perforated acid liquor inlet pipe extending horizbntally across. the upper end of the housing and projecting on opposite sides thereof, normally closed couplings on the opposite ends of said pipe, an acid trap at the bottom of saidhousing, an acid discharge pipe for said trap spaced above the bottom of said housing, a gas inlet pipe into said trap, and acid liquor cooling coils disposed above said discharge pipe and below said inlet pipe.

2. A reclaimer for pulp mills comprising an upright housing having an acid liquor inlet at its upper end, an acid tra at its lower end, an acid discharge pipe or said trap spaced above the bottom of said housing, acid liquor cooling coils disposed between said discharge pipe and said inlet, a pair of crossed horizontal perforated gas inlet pipes extending across the lower end of the housing and projecting on opposite sides thereof, and normally closed couplings on the opposite ends of said pipes.

3; A reclaimer for pulp mills comprising an upright housing having an acid liquor inlet at its top, an acid trap at its bottom, w. gas inlet into said trap, a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced coils disposed between the acid liquor inlet and the trap, a cold fluid supply pipe with which the inlet ends of said coils are connected, an additional series of horizontal vertically spaced coils interposed between the first named coils and having their inlet ends connected to the outlet ends of the first mentioned coils, and a cold fluid discharge pipe with which the outlet ends of the additional coils are connected.

4. A reclaimer for pulp mills comprising an upright housing having an acid liquor inlet at its top, an acid trap at its bottom, a gas inlet into said trap, a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced coils disposed between the acid liquor inlet and the trap, a cold fluid supply pipe with which the inlet ends of said coils are connected, an additional series of horizontal vertically spaced coils interposed between the first named coils and having their inlet ends connected to the outlet ends of the first mentioned coils, a cold fluid discharge pipe with which the outlet ends of the additional coils-are connected, and a cone-shaped spreader disposed between the acid liquor inlet and the plurality of cooling coils.

5. A reclaimer for pulp mills comprising an upright housing having a perforated acid liquor inlet pipe extending horizontally across the upper end of the housing and projecting on opposite sides thereof, normally closed couplings on the opposite ends of said pipe, an acid trap at the bottom of the housing, an acid discharge pipe for said trap spaced above the bottom of said housing, a perforated gas inlet pipe extending horizontally across the lower end of the housing and projecting on opposite sides thereof, normally closed couplings on the opposite ends of said pipe, a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced coils disposed between the acid liquid inlet and the trap, a cold fluid supply pipe with which the inlet ends of said coils are connected, an additional series of horizontal Vertically spaced coils interposed between the first named coils and having their inlet ends 15 In testimony whereof I have hereunto 20 set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE ERNEST MILLER.

Witnesses: v

BENJ. F. PORTER, O. J. PORTER. 

